TERRORISTS KILLED/CAPTURED – NOW WHAT

As everyone knows, the Boston Marathon terrorists, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaew, have been killed/apprehended. Kudos to the various law enforcement agencies involved for ending this quickly and efficiently. Additionally, kudos to the public for a considerable assist. As I predicted in my last blog, private citizens’ cameras and videos were instrumental in the identification and killing/apprehension of the terrorists. I expect Dzhokhar will be tried in Federal court, not Massachussets court, convicted and executed.

Now what? After we all take a deep breath, we have to conduct a thorough follow-up investigation. At a minimum, we have to ascertain:

1. Are they part of a larger terrorist plot? Who are their associates? Dzohokhar needs to be subjected to enhanced interrogation, so we can ascertain the answers to these and other questions.

2. Did the FBI drop the ball in 2010? Apparently, in 2010 Russia warned the FBI about Tamerlan. The FBI interviewed him and, concluding he was not a threat, let him go. On what basis? A little digging likely would have disclosed that he had spent time in Chechniya, which is known to be a hotbed of terrorism. Much of the Muslim population there is highly radicalized against not only the US, but also against Christians and Jews, in general. So, I repeat, on what basis was he deemed not to be a threat? We have to review those procedures.

3. How did the entire family come to be granted asylum as “political refugees?” The mother is a convicted criminal. Those procedures need to be reviewed as well.

PREDICTION AND CONCLUSION

The main conclusion is obvious. America is under constant attack from both internal and external sources. These people want to destroy us and our way of life. The “why” is not important. I don’t care that they are deranged, deluded, deprived, envious, want to meet Allah and 72 virgins in Paradise, or whatever. We don’t need to understand the “why.”

What we need to understand that we are at war, a war that is just as deadly as any other we have fought. In some ways it is worse, because it is on our own soil, and civilians, including children, are being targeted. We need to remain hyper-vigilant, and report anything suspicious to the authorities. For example, one of the bombing victims has disclosed that Tamerlan walked up to him, looked him in the eye, put down a satchel right in front of him, and walked away. Tragic. If you witness something like that, you must react.

Americans are tough and resilient. I believe we will rise to the challenge. After all, we always have. The cemetaries are full of people who have doubted us.